Home Is Where the Heart Heals
by RaphaelplusMikey
Summary: There's been no news of Loki for over two and a half years after his disappearance during the Battle of New York. Thor mourns for him and makes painful realizations. But when he and his mother DO hear from him... It's not exactly what they expected. "I woke up in a strange land, with strange creatures, strange magic, and even stranger people."
1. Chapter 1

**Home Is Where the Heart Heals**

**Chapter One**

**Prologue**

**Hi there. ^^ You can call me RpM. I have had this fic stuck in my head for forever. Forever. It's a very rare crossover, and I was nervous about starting this for several reasons. Number one is that I don't know if anyone's even going to find it, much less read and like it. Number two I have a lot of stories already that I'm working on, none of which seem to be ending anytime in the near future. Three, I'm out of notebooks. That means that everything I type will be straight out of my head, with half as much editing as it normally goes through.**

**But Number one kind of helps me. ^^" If not many people like it I can focus on it whenever and not really have to worry about updating schedules. (not that I really have one anyways) Anyways, here is the Prologue to Home Is Where the Heart Heals. :D [insert Disclaimer]**

* * *

Thor walked at a brisk pace towards the library where his mother had summoned him.

He had been interested when she had sent her personal servant to bring him the message. She trusted the servant with many things, all of them of the highest importance. That she felt the need to send her to give him the message was a warning of how serious the matter was.

The message itself had sent him reeling.

_"I have news of your brother, come immediately."_

Short, but laden with hidden a meaning. He could tell no one.

Now as he neared the ornate doors he thought back to the past two and a half years.

Loki had disappeared during the Battle of New York, leaving nothing but a shape in the floor and vague wisps of magic. The search was immediately put out for him, but hours passed with no news. Hours turned to days, weeks, and then months before the strains on their resources forced Midgard to give up its search. Even after all this time it was still wary, waiting for news of Loki's return.

Heimdall found nothing. All he discovered was that Loki had attempted a teleportation spell. With how weak he was his magic had spiked wildly, causing him to travel somewhere even Heimdall's gaze could not pierce. Many suspected that his 'trickery' had finally backfired upon him, ending him for good.

Thor had mourned, right from the start. Even though he believed his brother had gone mad he could not bear to imagine his brother truly gone. After the initial mourning he had met with his mother. They began talking of Loki over the years, and as they spoke they began to realize just what had happened.

It wasn't truly Loki's fault he had grown so cold and distant, but theirs.

They had treated him differently always, letting others get away with mistreating him because they didn't stop to think of how it would affect him. Many looked down on him and ignored his successes. It was clear, looking back, the exact point in which Loki had reverted to causing trouble to gain the attention he was denied.

Oh how badly that had hurt Thor. He had always loved his brother, even to the last second. To know that he had been one of the pushing points to Loki's madness? It caused both him and his mother to weep, holding each other to late hours of the night as they mourned for him.

He realized many things for what they were. In doing so, he changed much. He no longer rushed everything, attempting to pause and think as his brother had often rebuked him for not doing. It didn't quite work as well as it might have, but Thor knew simply trying made a difference.

He thought often, mostly about his brother. He joined his mother in her gardens or private library when he was in Asgard, discussing subjects that ranged from serious talks over Loki to lighthearted banter about which servant had stolen a freshly baked muffin from the kitchens.

Thor had waited with bated breath like everyone else, hoping for news of his brother instead of fearing it as they did. Thor was desperate to see his brother again, to know that he would be able to apologize. Even if his brother rejected him, he was willing to do anything to just _try_. He knew his team could tell, they had grown very close during the battle and were growing ever closer still. They didn't mention it, staying away from all talk of Loki as much as possible.

He brought himself from his thoughts as he opened the doors, slipping inside quietly as he possibly could. His mother sat on a soft couch, a large embossed book sitting on her lap. She held the book as if it was a treasure of the rarest kind and held a hand gently on top of it. She looked up as he came in, a yearning look in her eyes.

He moved quickly to sit next to her, leaning into her for comfort. They sat in silence for a few minutes, a silence filled with tension and sorrow and too many other things to name.

"This was in my quarters this morning, when I awoke." She ran her hand over the book carefully. "It had been transported there from somewhere I can not feel with my magic. This note was lying in the inside cover." She opened it and pulled out said paper. Thor's heart constricted as he read his brother's familiar handwriting, though it was much more free and loose than he remembered.

_"Dear Mother,_

_I do hope you received this package. If not, I have made an error in my calculations and there is no point in writing this. _

_I must request that you retrieve my brother and look through this book together, as it is very important that you both understand my situation. Do not worry, nothing is wrong. In fact, I believe that things have never been better for me and that is why I wish for you two to know. The book is spelled to only open when both of you and ONLY both of you are ready to look through it._

_There is nothing much else to say, except that I must ask you read through the whole book before considering telling Odin or anyone else of it._

_~Loki"_

Thor choked and read the note three times over, not believing what he'd read. Loki had not called him brother in a _very_ long time, and the last time he'd seen him had even outright denied it. He looked up at his mother, hope in his eyes. She smiled at him.

"Yes, it truly is Loki's writing. His style of writing feels different, but it is him." Thor couldn't resist the large, eager grin he gave. "Shall we begin?" His mother asked calmly, setting a hand delicately on the page to turn it. He nodded, not trusting his voice.

Inside the first two pages were written by Loki's own hand, a small picture resting between them with its blank side up. Thor was the one to pick it up and carefully turn it over. Both of them couldn't hold back the small gasps as they saw Loki.

He was standing in front of what appeared to be a large lake at sunset, turned towards the vibrant colors reflecting off the waters. He looked... _new_, as if a million burdens had been cleansed off his shoulders. His eyes were closed as he felt the warm sun and a small smile graced his lips. It wasn't the fake, forced smile Thor had seen him give a thousand times, but a truly contented smile. He looked _so_ unlike what Thor had known him as, that he was only now truly struck by how miserable his brother must have been.

His mother traced his figure with her fingertips, tears threatening to spill. She bowed her head, reaching the same epiphany that Thor had.

They eventually turned their attention to the writing.

_"Before I can truly begin to describe anything I must go back. Back many years before you were banished, brother. _

_Out of anyone I know that you both meant no harm. But as I grew up I was constantly taunted, teased about my studies in magic and my less than 'perfect' visage. I do not know for sure whether you have realized it by now, but I am confident that you now know how my childhood was not the best of situations. _

_Thor, you often protected me even when you believed I deserved what I was being put through. If you've realized what I grew up with you will be astounded to know that your protection was only enough to defend me when you were around. When you weren't, it was truly horrible."_

Thor and Frigga teared up again. Both knew that he had been treated horribly, but when it was finally put to words...

_"Considering the circumstances of your banishment, I believe that I was already becoming slightly unstable. I recall feeling unbelievably apart from anyone, and when I discovered my true heritage I broke._

_My actions weren't particularly called for, though I did what I believed was correct. Now I thoroughly regret all of it."_

"He shouldn't regret any of it, it is not his fault..." Thor bowed his head and his mother put her hand on his shoulder in comfort, fighting back her own grief.

_"I do not wish to dwell on the subject very long, as I do not like remembering my instability at the time._

_The moment when I let go and fell into the abyss is one of my lowest. At the time, I truly wished for it to just end."_

Frigga shook as tears suddenly slipped down her face.

_"Now, I want to go back in time and slap myself. However, there are many important things that never would have happened had I not attempted it._

_I floated through the void for an eternity, with nothing. There were tales of beasts and monsters roaming through the void, so I had resigned myself to being destroyed in their grasp. But there was nothing, and in that nothing I truly went mad. _

_Eventually, when my madness had faded with time as everything did, I was finally found by something. _

_Thanos."_

Their eyes widened in shock.

_"I will not mention that time but for this once. Many, many terrible things were done to me there that I am still too damaged to attempt reliving by writing them. I know that I then knew what it was like to beg and wish for death, and it is possible I did die a few times while in his grasp._

_I know that he had molded me into a perfect little soldier, controlling me in a similar way that I soon controlled others."_

Gears started turning as both began to make connections, to understand what had happened.

_"When the Hulk flung me into the floor was when the control was finally loosened._

_Sadly, that control was what had kept me from having a mental breakdown. I panicked as I regained my senses, attempting to cast a teleport spell to remove myself before I was captured in my weakened state. _

_However I was weak, exhausted, still fighting remnants of Thanos's mind control, and I'm fairly sure I had a dangerous concussion. My spell went awry, flinging me beyond, within, and _everywhere_._

_The details of what my spell did are too long for this and I'm certain you would not understand it, brother._

_The simplistics of it are that I went somewhere none had gone before. I woke up in a strange land, with strange creatures, strange magic, and even stranger people. _

_THAT, my brother and mother, is truly where this story begins."_

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**Epic ending line! I bet you guys can already see where this is going huh. ;D**

**Since this is such a rare crossover I really hope you guys like it! Please Read and Review so that I'm inspired to do the next chapter sooner!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Home Is Where the Heart Heals**

**Chapter Two**

**So, I was SOOO excited over how well it was received that I typed up this new chapter pretty fast! In fact, it's a record for me! XD**

**Thank you ashlight41, Carri 007, and thelonewander117 for reviewing last chapter. ;D It's also telling me there's a fourth review in there somewhere, but for some reason whenever I look it doesn't show. :?**

**[Insert totally awesome and funny Disclaimer]**

_"Writing"_

Memories

* * *

_"I must say... My first experience there was... Interesting, perhaps I could say? I knew automatically that I had sent myself somewhere new, though I hadn't realized quite HOW new."_

* * *

Loki struggled to the surface of his mind, barely able to open his eyes. He was aware of warm sunlight covering his body, and the hard earth beneath him. He heard voices nearby and what sounded like wheels.

He forced himself upright, shaking and falling back down again when he was too weak. He cursed quietly and was about to try again when the voices took on a note of urgency and his tired mind just now realized that they were getting closer.

"I felt it over here, I swear!"

"Hey! Do you see that?! It looks like a person!"

"Oh no!"

He tried looking around as footsteps came closer to him. A young girl leaned over him, probably no more than six.

"Hey Mister, are you okay?" She asked innocently.

"Lara, get back!" A slightly older boy grabbed her and pulled her away. A teenaged girl came into his foggy view and frowned. Wait... Since when was everything foggy? He turned his head as the girl reached down to his face.

"G-go... a.. way..." He whispered hoarsely.

"Oh come one," The girl rolled her eyes. "I can at least get an idea of what's wrong if I can feel your magic. Jaxel, Lara, go get mom and dad." She put her hand on his forehead as his eyes widened. The girl could tell he had magic at such a young age..? Her own eyes widened and she shouted over her shoulder. "Hurry!"

She tried to pull him up and over her shoulders, though it didn't exactly work. He groaned as his pain wracked body protested _loudly_ over being moved. "Wh-where..." She shushed him.

"You need to conserve energy, you're beat up pretty bad." She huffed as she tried taking a few staggering steps. She managed to drag him a short ways before he heard more footsteps and a larger pair of arms took his weight off her shoulders.

"'Leena, you go help your mom!" A deep voice came from next to him as his vision grew worse. He moaned as his body started throbbing in agony. "Hold on, we're gonna help you out. You need to stay awake. I'm Lope Turks, and you are?"

Knowing it was meant to keep him from passing out Loki did his best to answer. "L... Lo... ki..."

"Loki huh? Heard about a Light Mage by the name, you wouldn't happen to be him would you?"

"N... no.." Loki's muddled mind barely realized that what he said was... NOT normal. First off, a male... mage? He knew it probably had something to do with magic, but he wasn't sure what a male had to do with it. Second, he didn't understand the Light part either.

"Okay, that would make sense. So Loki, what's your favorite color?" Loki did his best to glare at the man, guessing where his face was. "Okay that was a stupid question but come one I'm making these up off the top of my head. Alright, here you go..." Loki cried out weakly as he was laid down. He tried to bite it down but the pain had only grown while he was being carried and his self control was severely lacking at the moment.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. You're safe." A soft voice said as a gentle hand felt his forehead. "Oh, oh my..."

"What's wrong?" Lope said, Loki barely hearing what they were saying now.

"He's in SERIOUSLY bad condition. His magic and energy reserves are completely zeroed out and his body is broken in so many places it looks like someone used him as a punching bag."

_/Not so far from the truth.../_ Loki thought dizzily as he felt himself slip into unconsciousness.

"Will he be okay?" Lope asked worriedly. Why was this stranger worried over him..?

"Of course, he is in the hands of the best healer in Fiore." The soft voice said, the last thing he heard before it all went dark.

* * *

_"Unfortunately when I first appeared I was weak and injured. It was pure chance that I was found by a kind family, who I am still in good relations with to this day. It was also fortunate that they happened to have the best healer I could find later on. They took me in while I was still too weak to understand what was going on around me."_

* * *

Loki woke up to a small campfire nearby, a cool night's breeze blowing past him. He was wrapped in multiple blankets and laid on the ground, and he could see several blankets laying around him holding small figures.

He lifted his head, memories hazy. "Wha..?" He croaked, coughing at how rough his throat was. A pair of hands was immediately lifting his head and holding a cup to his lips.

"Drink up, you need it." He swallowed the water thirstily, forcing himself to not gulp it down. "Yes, that's it."

"Where... where am I..?" He murmured, confused.

"You're in the south eastern forest near Bastul, we found you near the northern side." He recognized Lope's voice. He frowned when the name Bastul didn't sound familiar.

"I don't think you'd recognize it, you felt like you'd teleported a _long_ way." A young voice said and he looked over to see the older girl from before.

"'Leena, go back to bed." The soft female voice scolded. "It's late." The girl huffed and laid back down on her pallet. "My name is Terla Turks, you've already met my husband. We'd love to ask you some questions, but I know you're still tired and you're probably starved. Plus, it _is_ very late." She opened a few bags and pulled out a sealed container. She opened it quickly and took out a spoon. "It's lukewarm but we just made it tonight."

Loki swallowed his indignity at being fed like a child and allowed her to spoon feed him. He could feel several bandages and casts on his body and knew with how weak he was it wasn't a good idea to move. He ate several bowls before his eyes started dropping and she started putting the soup away.

"You get some rest now, when you wake up you should be feeling a lot better."

He couldn't help it as he slowly fell asleep to the peaceful sound of the crackling campfire.

* * *

_"Needless to say, it was quite strange trying to figure out what was going on once I was fully conscious."_

* * *

Loki woke up feeling far better than he had previously. He was still exhausted but his mind was clear. He could also tell that he was still injured, but much less so than he thought he'd be. He couldn't judge how long he'd been knocked out but knew it was probably a long time.

"Ah, there you are! Finally awake I see?" There was the sound of childish giggling.

"Mom, that's _so_ cheesy."

"Oh hush and go get Loki some soup." Terla helped him sit up from his spot inside a wagon, blankets cushioning him from the hard wood. He looked around carefully, taking in all the details.

"You look like a wild animal caught in a trap," Lope commented from beside his wife. "Relax, we're a healing family. We'll do you no harm." Loki gave them a calculating look.

"I apologize, but I've found myself in far too many unpleasant situations with those who have said they'd do me no hard." He inwardly flinched as memories assaulted him, though he kept up a perfect façade of emotionlessness. "Not every soldier wears a uniform." Lope laughed.

"That's true, but let us prove to you that we're good before you go distrusting us so soon, eh?" Loki nodded. He didn't have any intention of trusting these people, but pretending he did was a good idea.

Once Terla helped him eat, he was still too weak to do it all on his own, they sent the three children off to do some chore that required them away from the wagon and faced him with serious expressions.

"Loki, make no mistake we are just as cautious as you are," _/Oh I doubt that./_ Loki thought. "We're going to have to ask you some questions."

"Of course, though take in mind that there are some I may not be able to answer." He looked them straight in the eyes.

"Fair enough." Lope agreed.

"I was the one who helped most of your wounds along the path of being healed," Terla said, taking over. "I sadly wasn't able to do as much as I wish I could, since I had to heal myself at one point. Loki, my daughter has a type of magic that is very good at sensing what other mages are doing with their magic. You had a very impressive body changing spell." She looked him straight in the eyes as well when he reeled back in shock. "However your magic was too low to sustain it. It came undone in the middle of my healing and if I weren't so good a healer I would have lost my hand to frostbite."

He bowed his head, oh how he hated his Jotun form! "I... apologize, my natural form is never one I have enjoyed for that reason among many..."

She smiled gently. "It's fine, like I said I was able to heal myself. Once that was done I was able to transfer some of my energy over to you to keep the spell active while I healed you more. I didn't have enough energy left to heal you all the way, though you are also healing at a faster rate than anyone I have ever treated before."

"Another trait of my species," He nodded. "And my own magic healing myself." He didn't believe it was SO bad with these mortals, they seemed tolerant of him and he would accept tolerance wherever he got it.

"Oh really? I've never heard of a type of magic doing that before, except for a few of the more ancient magics..." She looked at him with interest.

"Terla," Lope reminded her to keep on track.

"Yes, right." She gave a sheepish grin. "We'd like to know where you come from and what type of magic you use, because the fact that you apparently teleported from a very long way away AND the fact that our daughter can't tell what type of magic you have is rather mystifying."

Loki contemplated what he should tell these mortals. On one hand he should lie his way through this and not reveal anything about himself. On the other hand, he didn't know what was going on or where he was and WHAT did they mean by type of magic? He decided to go with a simple one: Simply not telling them everything.

"I am not sure where I am, to be honest. I did indeed teleport here from somewhere very different. The problem was, at the time it was probably not a good idea to be using magic. I cast a teleport spell, but it went wrong." He shook his head. "I don't know where I am, but I am FAR from where I am supposed to be. As for type of magic, I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean."

"Types of magic, as in, the different types of magic?" Lope frowned in confusion. "Like, Terla does Healing Magic, some mages do magics like Sleep Magic, Force Magic, Celestial Magic, etcetera?"

"I still don't get what you mean?" This time it was Loki's turn to frown.

"Okay, let's start with what does your magic DO?" Terla suggested. Loki blinked rather owlishly at her.

"I believe a better question is what does my magic _not_ do, when I have my full strength." He raised an eyebrow at them when their eyes widened. "What is it?"

"Your magic does multiple thing?" Lope asked unbelievingly.

Loki nodded his head slowly. "I have a feeling you're hoping I say no."

"Well... Wherever you come from must be VERY far from here." Terla realized excitedly. "Here in Fiore, the magic country, mages usually only know one specialized form of magic. Say, an easier example would be Fire Magic, Water Magic, and so on."

"Fiore?" Loki's confusion grew. This time jaws dropped.

"You don't know what Fiore is?!" Lope stared at him in shock.

"...No..?"

"Earthland?!" Terla asked amazedly.

"Oh please Terla, surely he knows the name of the planet!" Lope scoffed. Then he looked at Loki's thoroughly confused face. "Oh dear."

"I think my teleportation spell must have done far more than I thought when it went wrong..." Loki was completely floored. "I must know, do you know of the Nine Realms?" At their blank looks he began to grow panicked. "Midgard?! Earth?! Asgard, Jotunheim, none of them sound familiar?!" By the end he was hyperventilating.

"Calm down Loki, it's not good for you to be stressed when you're still so weak!" Terla tried to calm him down but he was too far gone.

_/WHERE AM I?!/_ He started shaking as his thoughts blurred together. _/WherenoAsgardnothingnoMidgardlostgone-/_ His vision went black and he had the vaguest feeling of annoyance when he blacked out.

* * *

_"I also... may not have reacted well when I did learn where I was. Or more importantly, where I wasn't."_

* * *

**There you guys go, Chapter Two! Loki's having a hard time isn't he? ^^" Don't worry, things'll get easier later in.**

**In case you were confused, the italics are what Thor and Frigga are reading. The regular is what happened, though they don't know anything except what they're reading. Since there's (obviously) more of the actual memories than what Loki's telling them it will be a while until they have to stop for anything.**

**Please Read and Review! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Home Is Where the Heart Heals**

**Chapter Three**

**I don't get what it is about this fic that makes me write a new chapter every few days. :* Seriously, there's like a month gap between my updates on all my other stories. But I think I'll just accept the nice and happy muse and keep writing. :3**

**Thank ALL of you guys who have followed and favorited this story. Thanks especially to thelonewander117 and ashlight41 fro reviewing last chapter. Thanks to Casanova for reviewing Chapter One, I was only able to see their review a short while after posting Chapter Two. X3**

**[insert Disclaimer that makes you laugh your butt off]**

* * *

_"I eventually learned the specifics of where I was. I was in what seemed to be an entirely different universe, though the argument could be made that it be called another dimension or reality. I use the word dimension, as that is the most technically accurate description I can use that others might understand._

_As for exactly where I was, I was on a planet called Earthland. As you can tell it is very similar to Earth, as the Midgardians call their planet. There are no other versions of the Nine Realms here, of which I am grateful. Earthland is... very diverse._

_There are certain countries that I believe represent the different civilizations back in our dimension. Certain countries have a similar mindset as Asgard regarding magic, science, and culture. Though from my experience it is actually changed so that magic is something children wield, and as adults forego. There are some that are extremely similar to Midgard, focused on technology and science. Unlike Midgard these do KNOW that magic exists, there are just few teachers and in order to learn magic many leave to other countries. Then there are the truly strange places that despise magic and have sadly limited technology._

_And then there is Fiore._

_Fiore is a country like no other, larger than most and with a much higher population. In Fiore, technology exists but science is discarded. Magic is instead used in concert with machines and devices, though it does hamper their advancement somewhat. Magic is not only used that way though. _Everyone_ there is capable of magic, and nearly every single person regardless of gender or class uses it."_

* * *

Frigga paused in her reading aloud, shocked. Thor's face was just as surprised.

"I..." She shook her head in amazement. "I find myself wishing to visit this Fiore..."

"Indeed," Thor tried imagining a place where magic was widely used... He couldn't even begin to imagine such a thing. "Perhaps Loki is better off there than he ever was here."

"Perhaps." Frigga nodded sadly.

* * *

_"As you can probably tell, I was shocked at learning this fact. It was a long time until I could fully accept it, but I was overjoyed all the same. _

_Magic does work differently, instead of magic being used to do many things it is specialized so that a mage, as magic users are called here, can only do what their magic is specialized in. The upside to this is that there are hundreds of types of magic, and many more still undocumented. All mages can still do the absolute basics when trained, no matter their type of magic. _

_Brother, since you do not know what they are the simplest way to explain it is that they can sense their magic and others', and they can tell a person's condition based on the way their magic is fluctuating. Unfortunately, many mages are untrained in this._

_One strange thing about the magic here, is that there are types of magic used for simple, scholarly approaches. The most common use for magic, however, is fighting. Mages join organizations called guilds, where those in need of assistance with some task or mission post jobs for them to take. Many mages are skilled in fighting, though as anyone involved in magic they are usually more trained in mind than body._

_Though a few make sure to train their bodies regularly, just for that fact._

* * *

_A Week Later..._

Loki huffed angrily.

"This is entirely pointless, you know."

"No it's not!" The cheery teenager in front of him called as she pulled the small wagon he was in. It was the size of a wheelbarrow. "I need some actual physical training, you can't walk for long and have to ride in the big wagon often, and we're going up a hill. Seems like a good opportunity to me!"

Loki growled to himself, not happy that his magic was taking so long to return to its normal levels. For some reason, his magic was somewhat hampered in that dimension. He figured it most likely had something to do with narrative casualty so that he wasn't TOO powerful compared to others.

Whatever it was, it meant that his body was recovering a lot slower than normal. While most of his wounds were healed thanks to Terla(even the shattered bones), he was still very weak.

"Why don't you do some_ real _training? Pulling me is good for your muscles, but it's only exercising a small portion of them." He called to Aleena, the oldest of the Turks children.

"I don't know how," She admitted, panting. The two had formed a somewhat companionable relationship over the last week.

"...You don't know how to train." Loki deadpanned. Jaxel, the middle child, snorted from his spot walking alongside the small wagon.

"We know how to train our magic, but most mages make up their own fighting moves and stuff." The younger boy was very interested in magic, though he was unfortunate to not have found his type yet. "And mom and dad aren't fighters. Mom's a healer mage and dad used to work in a shoe store before he met mom." Loki raised an eyebrow. "She was looking for a new pair because of her travels." He shrugged.

"Yup! Kind of cute really, she thought he was nice so whenever she could she visited him. Eventually she asked him to come along with her, and they eventually fell in love and got married." Aleena giggled and gasped breathily.

"All that gushy stuff," Jaxel stuck out his tongue with a disgusted expression.

"You mustn't mock love, it is a strange and powerful thing which very often comes back to bite you when you least expect it." Loki smirked amusedly. Jaxel just snorted.

"Yeah right."

Loki shook his head, vowing to show up at any future weddings. "Aleena, if you wish to be trained I can assist you in that." He gasped and clutched at the wagon as it jerked and started to slip when she let go.

"Really?!" She squealed, then her eyes widened and she snatched the wagon's handle up again before it rolled too far. "Heh heh... You mean it though?" She asked hopefully.

"As long as you learn to not let go of things when excited." Loki glared at her teasingly.

"Deal!" She giggled and fist pumped. "Alright, where do we start?!"

"How about catching up!" Jaxel yelled from up the road where the others had kept moving with the big wagon. Aleena squeaked and started pulling the wagon again, scowling as Loki started laughing.

* * *

_"I did have some difficulty with nightmares of my experience under Thanos, and even now still do."_

* * *

Loki screamed and shot up, instantly regretting it when his head swam with dizziness. There was a scramble from the other people around him as they woke up.

Lope looked around panicked before his eyes landing on the shivering form of their guest, throwing up his dinner. Once he assured Terla that nobody was hurt he rushed over to him and tried to lay a hand on his back.

He pulled back when Loki screamed again and scrambled away, sobbing. Lope's eyes were wide as he took in the trembling mess that didn't seem... _there_.

Loki was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, tears dripping down his face. He was crouched on the ground and he kept rubbing his shoulders as if trying to assure himself that he was there. He had a crazy, terrified look on his face that screamed of a wild animal in flight mode. His eyes were strangely vacant as they looked every which way, like he wasn't aware of where he was.

Lope was about to walk towards him when Terla pushed him back, giving him a look that yelled 'You idiot!' at him. He put his arms up in surrender and made a motion to let her handle this. He walked back to check on their children, who were huddled together with confused faces.

"Shh, Loki, you're not there anymore." Terla murmured to him, knowing the look in his eyes. She'd seen it before in many of her patients who'd gone through terrible things. "Wherever you were or thought you were, you're back here with us." He looked up, hearing her voice but the words not registering.

She took a moment to wonder what the mischievous, bright minded Loki could have gone through to make him so damaged. She knew that for the nightmare to be this bad, it had to have been recent, extremely horrifying, or both. It was likely that his body and mind had been too weak before now to do anything but rest at night, and now that he'd grown stronger he was now sleeping a little lighter.

It took her half an hour to calm him down to the point where he passed out again, then she convinced her family to go back to sleep until the morning when they could hopefully find some answers. She knew that Loki might not, and possibly would never, be able to share whatever had happened to him.

* * *

Loki woke in the morning tired, but more of a 'didn't get enough sleep' tired instead of the 'almost no magic left inside' tired he'd grown used to. In a way it was good, it meant that his magic was more or less as filled as it was going to be. On the other hand though, he knew what him not getting enough sleep meant. He'd been grateful it hadn't happened so far, and had hoped he could leave the Turks before the nightmares returned. They were already so kind to him, he didn't want to burden them with any of his troubles.

He managed to sit up, yawning widely. Looking around, he was the first to wake up.

An hour later he sat on a log in a clearing a ways off the path, watching the sun rising higher in the sky. He didn't even turn as he heard footsteps behind him, their weight suggesting Lope's heavy gait.

"The kids are terrified that you ran off permanently, especially 'Leena because you said you'd train her." Loki didn't move as Lope sat next to him, fighting the urge to flinch away.

"Might be for the best." He responded dully.

"Come on, I know you already love those kids. Heck, might as well adopt you with how well you fit in." Loki bowed his head, looking from the sun's rays to the dirt between his feet. "Loki, look. Terla had a talk with all of us years ago. We've all seen people in your position." Loki finally turned to look at the mortal.

"No, I'm afraid you haven't. Maybe who have been through something similar, or maybe just part, but nothing quite like what I've been through." He looked back up at the sky. "I'm not a good person, Lope. I've been through and _done_ terrible things. Your family would be better off if I disappeared."

"Now you shut it, you hear? I haven't seen any evidence that you're a _bad_ person. In fact, you're one of the better ones I've met."

"You don't understand..." Loki sighed, trying to find a way out of the situation. For once his quick mind failed him, unable to concentrate with what had been happening. He had a chance to start over new, do things that he'd never been able to do. But he needed to do those things away from others. With the troubles he carried, he was too dangerous to be around good people such as this family.

"No matter how cheesy this sounds, LET me understand." Lope frowned at him. "You haven't given us much of a choice you know. We do this all the time, helping people across Fiore who are in bad spots. Usually they go off on their own once they're all set and we rarely hear from them again. Never once have we had someone who didn't eventually open up. But you're not even giving us a chance, wanting to hightail it as soon as you can walk straight."

He snorted. "Lope, I have killed thousands of people." He looked the other straight in the eye. "Are you seriously willing to consider trusting me?" He knew it was the breaking point, none would ever accept him after such words.

"Only if you consider trusting_ yourself_." Loki was stunned. "I don't care what you've done. Judging from how you were last night, you've been through some heavy stuff. Anyone who can be reduced to such a mess that they're hardly recognizable by a _nightmare_ would do things that aren't entirely their fault."

Loki looked back at the ground, wishing the stubborn mortal would listen. He sighed and shook his head. "You are far too forgiving."

"Been told that's my family's fatal flaw, that's why I married a healer." Lope shrugged. "Now, why don't you be the 'bad' man you're insisting you are and take advantage of my 'foolish' offer." Lope stood up and offered his hand.

Loki rolled his eyes. "For some reason I can't seem to think properly around you Turks, you hamper my ability to connive my way out of situations. I usually would have dealt with that much better." Loki accepted the hand and Lope pulled him up.

Lope snorted and waved his hand behind him as he started walking back to the camp. "Been told _that_ too. You'd be surprised the crazies who end up with us."

* * *

_"Though at first I was unwilling to do so, I ended up traveling with the family for a long while."_

* * *

**Remember people! Loki is not evil! He was just extremely confused and possibly temporarily insane during Thor. Then during The Avengers he was being mind controlled. He feels very guilty for everything he's done and is blaming himself for everything, even though it's technically not all his fault.**

**So we get an angsty Loki who's trying to distance himself from everything and anyone around him. I bet you guys can see what's going to happen once he meets Fairy Tail. -W-**

**Please Read and Review for the lovely author! (authoress?)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Home Is Where the Heart Heals**

**Chapter Four**

**Hi guys! I am SO happy that my muse is nice and happy still. X3 Don't worry though, even if I lose my muse for this story I'll still update once a month at the MOST.**

**Thank you thelonewander117, ashlight41, Chibi y Hina, and mrg6(guest) for reviewing last chapter!**

**mrg6: I know right! I keep thinking Loki and Loke would get along great too. XD Thank you for your review!**

* * *

Frigga turned the pages again and paused as more photographs were placed between them. She carefully picked them up and turned one over, barely containing a laugh once she got a glimpse at it. Thor, curious, turned his head to try and see it from his angle.

"What is it?" He asked expectantly. She shook her head with an amused smile and flipped the picture so that he could see it as well.

On it was a picture of Loki and a teenager girl, Loki with a rather unimpressed look and the girl looking sheepish. It was easy to read the situation considering Loki was sitting among the wreckage of what appeared to be a small cart and the girl held a piece left from the handle. On the bottom of the picture was a small caption scrawled in messy writing that was definitely not Loki's.

* * *

_"Loki and 'Leena: She's gotta stop causing accidents when excited."_

* * *

Thor laughed too, much less restrained than his mother's. Frigga skimmed through the pictures as she laid them out to be easily visible. Many held pictures of Loki and the same girl, often with him showing her a battle pose or more of her mishaps. There were also two other children in various pictures, including one VERY adorable one of a sleepy Loki glaring at whoever was taking the picture at the time. The three children were sprawled against him and very obviously fast asleep.

As they looked at the pictures Frigga separated a few that, judging by how the children appeared to have grown, were taken recently. She found names on the bottoms and matched them up with the writing on the pages they'd been tucked between.

There was a picture of a man and woman standing together and smiling, posing for the camera. The man was of average height with just a bit of fat about him. He had short, dark brown hair streaked with grey here and there and his eyes were an odd almost yellow brown. The woman was extremely short, but there was something about her stance that inspired instant respect, not demanded it. She was of average build and had blue eyes and dirty blonde hair going down to her waist.

* * *

_"Lope and Terla Turks_

_They are the two who initially took me in, though their children held no small part in my choice to stay longer than I'd first planned. They are both extremely easy-going, and if it weren't for their innate ability to somehow avoid any and all real danger I'd accuse them of being fools for the situations they put themselves in._

_Terla is a mage, and an extremely powerful one at that. Mere weeks after I was in her care I had even my worst injuries nothing but memories with nary a scar. She has a keen eyes for detail and a calm disposition. I've yet to see her even irritated. As a healer she treats any and all lives as equals and to her any living being is family. This makes mealtimes interesting, as she makes the most hilarious of faces when eating meats."_

* * *

They both had to stop for a minute to laugh, possibly more than the situation called for. It was _so_ relieving to see Loki making lighthearted jokes as he had when he was younger.

* * *

_"She is very similar to you, mother, and I keep finding myself finding similarities between the both of you. Though Terla has a much more silly attitude when she is not required to be serious._

_Lope is far more relaxed than his wife, and he has a very straightforward view of things. He is not one to talk unless he needs to though he is not the silent type. He is the one who organizes everything, despite Terla's more authoritative place in their family he has far more of a grasp over how to keep them moving. There's not very much I can say about him otherwise, he's a very simple man and he knows it."_

* * *

The next picture showed the three children sitting together at a bench.

The oldest, the teenage girl, had her brunette hair up in a ponytail and had her mother's blue eyes. She was a normal height and full-bodied, with skinny arms and legs. The second youngest was a boy who'd inherited his mother's hair with natural bright blonde highlights. Appearance wise he looked a lot like his father, with normal brown eyes and slightly skinnier build. The youngest was a slightly pudgy little girl with beautiful blonde hair in a cute bob. Her eyes were an incredibly deep blue and her eyes drooped slightly behind a pair of glasses despite her awake and cheerful expression.

* * *

_"Aleena, Jaxel, and Lara Turks_

_Aleena is the oldest of the children at sixteen, and is very energetic. As you can tell from the other pictures, whenever she becomes excited she tends to drop whatever she's doing. Sometimes quite literally. She is a mage with an unidentified magic, and I believe it is a form that has not yet been recorded. She is capable of sensing the souls of others, whether alive or deceased. You would be rather surprised how many times she is found having a one-sided conversation with some lost spirit. She also has a very fine sense of others' magic as well, being able to tell what kind of spell is being used even under the most powerful of disguises. She can see through most illusions, making it difficult for me to truly surprise her. She can create energy blasts using her energy and with her soul sensing ability can 'borrow' energy from others, always with permission of course. I took it upon myself to give her the major push into fighting properly and now she is rather skilled for her age._

_Jaxel is eleven and the middle child, having a very childish personality at times. He is very enthusiastic about magic and is always eager to learn the theoretic side to any spell. Sadly, he has not discovered his form of magic as of yet. Despite this he is always happy to help his older sister with her training and though he's not confident enough to show me Aleena tells me that he's coming along nicely. He can be shy when it comes to sharing his abilities, though he's always excited to share whichever new subject he's been studying._

_Lara is only five and is the youngest. I have suspected that Lope and Terla are wishing for another child though, so that may not be the case soon. Lara is, like any child her age, completely carefree. She is the perfect little angel and the only time she ever becomes stubborn is over what she will eat, it is the only reason Terla hasn't turned them all into vegetarians. She was born with a debilitating birth defect, but Terla's skill is so great that once Lara's body could handle it she healed the deformity. I am not sure on what it was, but I do know that had Terla not healed her Lara would have been completely blind and paralyzed in her face. Sadly there is only so far healing magic can go. It was a miracle how far Terla managed to heal her, and there is only one lasting effect. Lara's eyelids are paralyzed, and when she needs to open or close them she has to use her fingers. To solve the issues of blinking Lara keeps her eyes halfway open, and instead of blinking she simply looks up into her head long enough to moisten her eyes. She keeps her head at an odd tilt most of the time to see, and she must wear glasses due to a slight vision impairment left over from her earlier blindness."_

* * *

Both Frigga and Thor jumped slightly when the door to the library opened and a servant peeked in. Frigga smoothly swept all the pictures together and deposited them in the spot they'd last been reading before there was a chance of the servant seeing.

"My apologies your Majesties, but it is near dinner time and the king asks for your presence at the banquet hall." The servant bowed, an apologetic look for interrupting on her face.

"Does he give a reason?" She asked carefully so as not to show any worry. It was no secret that ever since Loki's disappearance she and Odin had argued many times. She sometimes suspected that the thick helmet he wore was preventing any logic and reason from getting to his brain.

"No your Majesty, just his regards." Ah, so the request was an apology and he had started to miss her since their last spat. At the moment Frigga couldn't even remember what it was about.

"Inform him that I will be joining him shortly," She nodded regally and the servant left with another bow. "It appears we may need to stop for the moment." She sighed. Thor looked regretfully at the book.

"It seems so, though I wish we could continue on." He sighed as well.

"Fear not, we may continue in the morn and some time to think over what we've learned will do us good." She rested her hand on his shoulder for a second, a silent show of understanding. She took the book from her lap and stood up gracefully. She then hid the book using several illusion and alarm spells, making sure that if anyone were to even go NEAR the book she would be alerted immediately. Thor couldn't even follow how many spells she used, due to the complexity of them.

"I shall attend with you." Thor said as she finally finished up.

"Odin would be rather surprised if you didn't," She chuckled. "I can hardly recall you ever missing a meal alone." Indeed, the only times he'd ever avoided the banquet hall would be with the Warriors Three and Sif or with his mother in recent times.

They walked to the banquet hall together in silence, both contemplating the book and its contents.

* * *

_In another dimension..._

"Lo'!" A gruff voice called. "Are you okay? You looked zoned out." A young man with multiple piercings came and sat next to the trickster with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I'm fine Gajeel." He laughed. "Just sensing my Book. I set a few spells on it so that I could feel when it was being read, along with hear what was being said about it. I'm surprised mother didn't sense it..." He mused the last part to himself.

"Really? Isn't that a bit much?" Gajeel looked at him.

"No, it is also so that if the Book comes into the hands of anyone it was not intended to I could renew the protection spell and by a last resort destroy it." Loki relaxed into his chair.

"Huh. Is that why you made copies of the pictures?" Gajeel leaned on the back legs of the chair.

"Yes, and the writing inside of it." Loki looked around the crowded guild hall and found himself honestly missing his mother and Thor. Especially his brother, Laxus had wanted to meet him as soon as he'd mentioned that Mjolnir could channel lightning and was constantly asking about him...

Gajeel snorted. "Paranoid much?"

"I like to think of it as 'prepared'. Which, by the way, you are not."

"What are you-" Gajeel's baffled look changed to one of surprise as Elfman flew into him from the brawl that Gray and Natsu had just started. "SALAMANDER!" He roared from the ground. He threw the bigger man off and jumped to his feet with a growl, which Natsu completely ignored.

Loki cast a shield spell just in time to watch Macao fly into it and slide down painfully. He winced and shook his head.

"That one's going to hurt tomorrow." He said thoughtfully as the man just jumped up and dove right back into the fight.

"Excuse me Loki?" He turned to see Wendy standing outside his safe dome with a sheepish look. "Could I..?" She tapped the surface slightly.

"Of course," He smiled and opened the shield long enough for her to slip inside before closing it again. "Did you wish to speak to me or were you just seeking shelter?"

"Just looking for a safe spot," She admitted with a shrug. "But we can talk if you want to."

They then proceeded to have a nice chat about their favorite drinks as a brawl went on around them.

Just a normal day in Fairy Tail.

* * *

**Oh geez. XD Does anyone else get the feeling that Loki might be a little TOO at home in the chaos that is Fairy Tail? Idek anymore aksjsljafkj.**

**Lol, so this chapter I took some time to give you guys descriptions of the Turks. They aren't going to have very much focus on them, but I'm considering drawing the pictures themselves and posting them on Deviantart. What do you guys think?**

**Read and Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Home Is Where the Heart Heals**

**Chapter Five**

**This chapter sucks in my opinion. Very much. D: But whatever, right? The beginning isn't bad, in fact I love the idea that Levy loves extreme sports and the like. X3**

**I own nothing, blahbedy blah... Oh right, I forgot I could do this: [Insert random Disclaimer]**

* * *

The next morning in a different dimension, a mother and her son prepared to read more of a mysterious book. Loki, however, wasn't about to be doing any reading.

"Levy, you are insane." He looked down at the cliff and adjusted his shirt nervously.

"Aw, come one Is the big bad S-Class Loki scared of a little jump?" Levy grinned at him. "It's not that far. Besides, I can just use my script magic to make a cloud if everything goes bad and you have WAY more options than I do. And Wendy's always caught me before." The blue head looked down the cliff to wave to the small girl flying through the wind below.

"I'm not scared, to be nervous about jumping off a cliff is a completely natural reaction. How did you two even start doing this?"

"We were on a mission and I fell off a tree, Wendy caught me and once I stopped having a panic attack I realized it was... fun? I guess? Wendy loves getting to use her wind like this too." She answered excitedly. "It took a while for us to figure out the funnest way to do it, and we ended up with cliff diving." With that final statement Levy grabbed his arm and jumped.

He screamed with wide eyes for a second as Levy screamed in joy. Once he got over the surprise of being _pulled off a cliff _he tried to relax a bit. He knew there was no way he'd actually DIE from this, he had at least eight different ways to simply slow his fall, not including teleporting to safety or using wind magic himself. Plus, Wendy _was_ very talented with her wind.

He felt a smile grow as he felt the wind rush past him, an indescribable feeling of _freedom_ flowing through him. Soon he was whooping alongside Levy as they fell further, until he stopped in midair and a giggling Wendy flew up to them.

"Your FACE Lo'!" Wendy snickered.

"That was..." He grinned at her.

"Amazing?" Levy giggled.

"Yes." He breathed out as his legs waved awkwardly underneath him, reflexively trying to find the ground.

"Do you want to go down or back up?" The younger girl asked carefully. "I have to do one at a time though, unless you're both going the same way. I'm not used to carrying me and two other people."

"Up!" Both nearly shouted.

They all laughed and Wendy began to carefully push them up with the wind.

"I wouldn't really expect something like this from you..." Loki mused and wobbled midair, Levy leaning back expertly.

"You mean something so extreme?" She clarified, still grinning from the fall.

"Precisely." He nodded and she just shrugged.

"Well I usually don't like anything like this, but it's bonding time for me and Wendy and it's also time I get to spend away from Jet and Droy." She sighed. "I know they mean well but they're a little too much..."

Loki chuckled. "Yes, I can see why. Why don't you try talking to them about it?"

"Because they don't listen." Levy deadpanned.

"Ah, yes, well... I have nothing else to contribute." They both laughed and prepared themselves as Wendy finally pushed them up to the lip of the cliff. "Why not just drop here?" He motioned to where they were still in midair. Levy brightened.

"I never tried that before... HEY WENDY! DROP US HERE!" She shouted and Loki jumped, not expecting it from the usually quiet girl.

"You are definitely insane." Was all Loki managed to get off before they were dropped and started screaming again.

* * *

Thor and Frigga opened the book up again, hidden away in the library with explicit orders to not be disturbed. They looked through the pictures of the Turks again, committing the faces to memory. That these strangers had taken Loki in and helped him while he was at his lowest struck deep inside them and they deeply wished they were able to thank the family themselves.

Once Thor voiced this thought to his mother she grew thoughtful.

"I believe that it would be possible. Loki obviously knew how to cross the dimensional barrier on purpose, otherwise he would not have been able to send this book. I might be able to track the energy signature and take us there. But if you recall, Loki asked in the note in the front of the book that we read the entire book before acting upon it."

Thor nodded sadly. "Then shall we continue? I dearly wish to hurry through it." Frigga smiled gently at his eagerness and turned the page again.

* * *

_I traveled with the Turks for around six months, going from city to city and helping them as much as I could. My magic is strangely hampered here, reducing the ways that I could help them, but I did as much as I could._

_In those months I recovered somewhat from everything I'd gone through. I was only comfortable around the Turks themselves, but the fact that I was comfortable around ANYONE was a great achievement._

_I eventually told them about where I was truly from, and much of what I'd done._

* * *

Loki sat in the wagon, talking with Jaxel and generally just relaxing. He was waiting. Waiting for the time when Lope would call the wagon to a halt and startsetting up camp, taking care of the horses and preparing the wagon. Though they could definitely afford a magic powered wagon, the Turks preferred to have and care for their own horses. Loki certainly wasn't complaining. It was refreshing to be around others who cared for their animals like he did.

Once the camp was set up and everyone was gathered near the fire, Terla just about to start cooking, Loki cleared his throat.

"I... I believe it is time that I told you of where I come from."

Just like that everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered closer, eager to hear and wanting to support him. He blinked slightly, surprised at how they dropped what they were doing(literally in Allena's case), and began.

"I believe now that I have been teleported to an entirely different dimension, not connected to this one in any way. In my... home dimension," He flinched slightly at calling it his home. "There are nine realms, each containing a different world and inhabitants. Many years ago the king of the realm of Asgard, Odin, fought in a terrible war against the Jotun of the realm Jotunheim, also known as frost giants. At the end of the battle Odin discovered a Jotun child abandoned in the throne room. The child was the son of the Jotun's king, Laufey. Odin took in the child, intending to use him to unite the two realms when he came of age." Loki smiled bitterly. "I'm sure by now you can tell that I was that child. I was raised as the youngest prince of Asgard with my older brother Thor. Thor and I were close at first, but Asgard has many standards of how their men and women must be and those who are different are often shunned. Magic is considered something that only women use. That I used and excelled in it was considered shameful, not to mention how I enjoyed my studies. Asgardian men were expected to be strong and fair, skilled and powerful with weapons. I did not fit that image and so from the beginning I was treated as a disgrace while my brother, the very image of Asgardian 'perfection', was treated as his princely status demanded."

"That is so not fair! AND sexist, magic is something that EVERYONE can use!" Aleena protested angrily before realizing something. "But... that's somewhere totally different from Fiore..."

"Fiore is a special case too, it's not called the 'magic country' for nothing." Jaxel commented.

"Hush and listen," Terla scolded them.

"It is alright," Loki assured her. "My brother was very close to me for a while, but he was never the smartest of people and never quite noticed the situations I was in. Thinking back, I would say that I was emotionally abused. Nothing more sinister other than being ignored, however terrible it was."

"I can't even imagine." Terla nodded sympathetically. "It would have been already bad enough if you were in a normal family, but you were a prince and therefore held up to higher standards. Am I correct?"

"Yes. A few years ago there was an incident... It's quite difficult to explain, except to say that my brother, in all his rashness, nearly started the beginning of the next war between Jotun and Asgard. I happened to come across an artifact called the Casket of Ancient Winters, a relic taken from the Jotun during the war. I... It somehow... You must understand, I was raised with no knowledge of my heritage. I was raised on bedtime horror stories of the terrible Jotun, who murdered women and children and committed heinous crimes for their own brutal enjoyment. The Casket released several enchantments that had hidden my true form, and upon discovering what I was..." Loki flinched. "To say that I snapped would not quite be accurate. Many, many bad things happened that I thoroughly regret."

"And that's what counts," Lope interjected. "That you regret it."

Loki continued as if he hadn't heard Lope. "My brother had been banished to the realm of Midgard for his arrogance, stripped of his Asgardian powers and without his weapon. In his absence Odin descended into Odinsleep, I shall tell you more about that later, and I used my magic and shapeshifting skills to take his place on the throne. It was for a reason... Mainly that having no ruler on the throne would have led to catastrophic results. In the end my brother had to return and battle me, and I was nearly thrown off the Bifrost; the means of travel between realms for those who held no magic. My brother caught me in the last second but... I let go." Eyes widened. "I fell into the abyss, and there I encountered Thanos." Loki shuddered, memories playing in his mind.

Terla set a hand on his shoulder comfortingly with a soft smile. "You don't need to tell us Loki. We would understand if you waited to finish, or even if you never did."

"No, I must finish now that I've started." He took a deep breath. "I was tortured under Thanos's hands, he is not called the Mad Titan for nothing." Loki's voice was neutral but his clenched hands and teeth showed his inner struggle. "Eventually I was nothing but a cowering mess, but to make sure he had complete control over me he put me under his control using powerful spells-"

"You mean mind control stuff?!" Little Lara gasped, half lidded eyes staring at me innocently.

"Yes, Lara, mind control spells." He shivered. "Once he held control over me he sent me to take over another realm, Midgard. It is known as Earth by its own inhabitants and yes I am aware how similar that is to Earthland. It is one of the factors that threw me off upon my arrival here. I committed many crimes there, killed many people... I used the same mind control that was used on me to control others and make them do my bidding..." He shuddered again. "Midgard eventually pulled together a team of powerful fighters to combat me and the army I brought through a portal. A wealthy man who owned the most famous company, named Tony Stark, he built and used an indestructible mechanical suit called 'Iron Man' to fight villains using weaponry from his company for vile purposes."

* * *

_Avengers Tower, Tony's Lab..._

Tony looked up curiously and shook his head.

"Sir?"

"Na, it's nothing JARVIS. I just got a weird feeling for some reason..."

* * *

"Steve Rogers, known as 'Captain America', a superhuman war hero from many years past who, without going into detail, was frozen in ice for nearly seventy years."

* * *

_Central Park..._

Steve blinked and looked around rubbing his left ear, which felt slightly warm all of a sudden.

"Guess someone's talking about me..."

* * *

"A green monstrous beast known as the Hulk, a byproduct of gamma radiation on a rather peaceful man named Bruce Banner. No, I don't quite know what gamma radiation is either..."

* * *

_With Steve..._

"What do you mean?" Bruce turned to Steve, ignoring the feeling of being watched and the strange suspicion of being talked about.

"Well, my ear felt warm." He noticed the confused look on the other's face. "You don't know that one?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

* * *

"A master bowman and assassin named Clint Barton. He was one of the men I initially controlled, though he eventually regained his mind."

* * *

_With Steve and Bruce..._

"No, I think I know this one," Clint spoke up from his ice cream. "When your ear's warm it supposedly means someone is talking about you. And I get that feeling all the time so I just ignore it." He loudly slurped from his cone.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "You _can_ eat that a little quieter, you know..." Clint just gave it a large lick, making exaggerated sounds.

"Remind me again why Tony isn't here?" Steve sighed at his teammate's childish behavior.

"He was busy in the lab and had JARVIS lock the doors before I could drag him out." Bruce replied.

The three continued through the park, trying to enjoy one of the few times they weren't being swamped by crowds from going out in public.

* * *

"Natasha Romanoff, an assassin also who works with Barton. She is... incredibly dangerous for a mortal."

* * *

_Somewhere in a fancy restaurant..._

Enjoying a meal with Pepper away from the rowdy environment of the Avengers Tower, Natasha didn't even bother acknowledging the feeling of being talked about.

* * *

"Together they called themselves The Avengers, and eventually when my brother came to Earth to help contain me he joined them as well. In the end, I called my army through the portal and attacked one of their cities. They did an exemplary job of fighting back and keeping the monstrosities contained and in the end Stark put a missile through the portal just before it was destroyed. I believe Thanos knew the remaining forces would not prevail and cut his losses, killing all the creatures and preventing them from revealing anything. There was one way of being released from the control, a strong enough blow to the head would enable someone to regain their senses. Barton was the first this happened to, right before the final battle. During the battle I was attacked by the Hulk and even though I knew its strength, I provoked it... To put it simply, I ended up in a crater on the ground. That was when I shook the control and attempted a teleport spell to... Anywhere else would have been preferred. I'm not aware of what exactly happened, but I do know that the condition I was in combined with my confusion twisted the spell into sending me here. After that, you found me and..." Loki spread his hands, not needing to explain further.

They took a few moments to absorb everything, thinking on what happened.

"Your argument sucked you know." Loki blinked at Lope's words, the others looking at him oddly too. "After your first nightmare when you tried to leave, you tried convincing me to let you by saying you'd killed people. I don't see why any of that was your fault, if you were mind controlled."

Loki sighed and shook his head. "I shall not even attempt explaining, since knowing you Turks I'd be more confused in the end than you would be."

"Probably a good idea." Terla smiled, eyes twinkling, as she got back to making dinner.

Without even a word, everyone else got right back to what they were doing before. Except... they each brushed by Loki, Lara even giving him a solemn hug, showing their silent support as they carried on.

That night, for once, Loki fell asleep with no nightmares.

* * *

_"They never even blinked, accepting it without a problem. They are quite foolish mortals, if you think of the situation from one perspective. But their foolishness is what helped me regain much of my sanity."_

* * *

**GRRR! I feel like the entire time Loki was talking it was stiff and unnecessary. D: Meh... :(**

**I'd just like to take this chance to say that I've only seen a few of the movies, and all but Iron Man was BEFORE I even started getting into the fandom in the first place. I was looking up stuff on Wikipedia and guessing half of what I put so don't depend on me for any accurate stuff. Also, I haven't even seen Thor sooo... *awkward dwhistling* I'm just going to let you know that, again, I had no idea half of what I was doing this chapter. Hopefully the first part makes up for the lame ending! **

**Just FYI, I thought of something. If anyone is wondering why Heimdal hasn't seen what's going on it's because he's been watching and my headcannon is that he's always had a bit of a soft spot for Loki. So he's reading the book as they're reading it and learning what's REALLY been going on. He's not going to tell Odin, at least not until something happens where he needs to.**

**Please Read and Review and let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Home Is Where the Heart Heals**

**Chapter Six**

**So, this... is technically not a chapter. I'm going to let you know now, I have NOT been able to work on my stories at ALL. AT. ALL. The only reason I did this is because of a song that has been stuck in my head that fits Loki and Thor SO well, I HAD to put it in somewhere. It's called Lullaby for a Princess and really it just makes you cry. I suggest you look it up and listen to it while reading, OH THE FEELS.**

**Like I said, I've been ridiculously busy since this was the first week of school and I have ALL PreAP classes. Now it's the weekend, I have a little extra time. So I'll be working on other stories. Not this one since I just updated with this and this story is FAR from being late, unlike TFA: Bonds which is an entire two months since my last update... Stupid difficult chapter doesn't want to be written. *sulk***

**Anyways, yadda yadda. I have some IMPORTANT information down at the bottom pertaining to this story that I want you guys to look at and help me out on.**

**Thank you Alibi Nonsense and Mars. for reviewing! :3**

**[Insert appropriate Disclaimer I don't even know khlsfdhgldfhglh]**

* * *

_Loki's P.o.V._

I sighed as Gajeel protested loudly to the stubborn redhead dragging him by one arm through the streets.

"I ain't going to some stupid concert!" He scowled. "I barely even _like_ music!"

"You are coming." Erza said obstinately.

"I have no idea why she insists on you coming along, but you might as well accept it," I smirked slightly in amusement at the glare he sent my way. "As I am doing." I nodded in thanks as Erza, assured I wouldn't try to get out of it, released my arm from her admittingly hard grip.

She had entered the guild a short while ago and announced that she was going to a concert and wanted several people to go with her. Everyone was confused as to why she insisted myself and Gajeel do as well, though I knew immediately. Gajeel was, simply put, anti-social and I was still not very comfortable with Fairy Tail. Though oddly the Iron Dragonslayer and I got along very well.

Lucy Heartfilia had immediately wanted to go, once learning who was playing Wendy Marvel wanted to come as well. Apparently the instrumentalist was an incredibly advanced wind mage who she had met several times and was good friends with.

Natsu Dragneel and Grey were only allowed to come upon a promise of not fighting or arguing while there, I had enforced Erza's threats with my own as Grey and I were beginning to spar together and I was most definitely the better with my... _ice _(even though I was still not very comfortable with my natural form and its perks).

Once everyone who was interested spoke up, Levy(who I had a very comfortable friendship with from the few times I hid out in the library), Jet, Droy(the two got on my nerves and Levy was always grateful when I scared them off for a short time), and oddly Mirajane Strauss, Erza insisted there were plenty of people for one group. The implied part was that it was not a good idea to gather so many Fairy Tail mages outside of the guild.

I had seriously done many hours of research and investigory spells in order to see if there was some sort of curse on the guild. There is NO way I had suddenly grown so destructive. Even still, I was one of the _least_ destructive mages in the guild.

I didn't pay much attention as Erza got us into the concert hall (Since when did Magnolia have a concert hall..?) and hung back behind Levy boredly. I simply nodded when Grey slunk back to walk next to me so I wouldn't be alone. He had for some reason taken it upon himself to be my friend, even though I didn't really care. It was a nice sentiment anyways.

As the concert progressed and the others enjoyed themselves(Grey eventually slipping off by himself) I found myself only interested in the instrumentalist. He was only a child, Wendy's size and probably a bit younger than her. He truly _was_ talented.

Instead of various instruments and several members there was what had been announced as a 'Air Orchestra': a large assortment of pipes with holes all over them hanging from bars by strings. To play music he used Wind Magic to blow air through the pipes in certain patterns, creating a multitude of notes and sounds. Between the variety of pipes and his precise control over the winds he used he could literally replicate the sounds of any instrument.

He was quite obviously a magical prodigy, and he was even announced as such despite his scowl at having attention drawn to him. While he played he was almost completely entranced, for what he did involved incredible focus. It was quite obvious simply from watching that he was completely entranced while playing and had retreated into his mind to concentrate.

Other than the child(who had been introduced as Nock Junior or NJ for short) I wasn't interested in anything that was going on.

Until the music took a change from it's usual happy, energetic pace to a slow tune. The lights had changed slightly and the backup singers retreated off the stage, leaving only NJ and the lead singer, who was called Fall Staar.

Her voice so far had been very good, though not very enrapturing to me because none of the songs were very... _interesting_ to me. But she took a deep breath and I could see her sobering from her previously strangely chipper attitude. I could practically see her bringing up emotions from the back of her mind and memories, apparently needing them to truly sing the song.

Levy, who I'd followed simply from having nothing else to do, noticed me look up and pay a little more attention.

"Alright, it's sort of a tradition for our concerts to end on a sort of... sad note. Okay, completely depressing, but you know, traditions!" I snorted at how she seemed to have difficulty staying serious. "Now, many of you may find this familiar. The Tale of the Princesses, Night and Day." There were excited mutters as the audience recognized it. I didn't know it, not having had as much time as I'd have liked to research Earthland's legends. "You know all about it, now here's the song. It was written by someone in NJ over here's family, who has requested to remain anonymous. They just so happened to decide we were the ones they wanted to sing it. This is the first time it will be sung in front of someone outside their family or our band, I hope you... well, maybe not enjoy. Just, you know... Ugh! Enjoy the feels!" She gave up and threw her hands out.

Nock looked away from his pipes to see her give him a signal and he changed from a slow, mournful melody that wasn't quite a song to a specific tune. With a deep breath she began.

_"Fate has been cruel and order unkind,  
How can I have sent you away?_

_The blame was my own,  
The punishment yours.  
The harmony's silent today..."_

My eyes widened as I realized that the story of the song so far sounded slightly familiar.

_"But into the stillness I'll bring you a song,  
And I will you company keep.  
'Til your tired eyes  
And my lullabies,  
Have carried you softly to sleep..._

_"Once did a woman who shone like the sun,  
Look out on her kingdom and sigh.  
She smiled and said  
'Surely there is nobody so lovely and as well beloved as I?'._

_So great was her reign  
And so brilliant her glory  
That long was the shadow she cast!_

_Which fell dark upon the young sister she loved,  
And grew only darker as days and night passed..."_

I froze, rigid. It couldn't be..? It was... It sounded like...

_"Soon did that woman take notice that others  
Did not give her sister her due.  
And neither had she loved her as she deserved,  
She watched as her sister's unhappiness grew..."_

I shook as memories came forwards, _achingly_ similar to the song. I vaguely saw Levy looking at me worriedly.

_"But such is the way of the limelight  
It sweetly takes hold of the mind of its host.  
And that foolish woman did nothing to stop  
The destruction of one who had needed her most."_

I jerked as I tried to contain a sob, how was this so alike to my own story?!

_"Lulay Moon Princess  
Goodnight sister mine,  
Rest now in moonlight's embrace..._

_Bear up my lullaby  
Winds of the earth.  
Through clouds and through sky and through space!_

_Carry the peace and the coolness of night!  
__And carry my sorrow in kind._

_Luna you're loved so much more than you know,  
May troubles be far from your mind._

_And forgive me for being so **blind**..."_

By now silent tears streaked down my face. I didn't know how it had happened so quickly, but the song had snuck right past the defenses I'd so carefully built over my emotions. This 'Sun Princess' represented my brother, while in a way the 'Moon Princess' was...

Me.

_"The years now before us.  
Fearful and unknown.  
I never imagined,  
I'd face them on my own!_

_May these thousand winters  
Swiftly pass I pray!  
I love you,  
I **miss** you..._

_All these miles away!"_

I lost it then, collapsing onto Levy's shoulder. Once seeing me so affected by the song she had quickly moved to comfort me and was only slightly surprised when I leaned into her.

"It's okay Loki," She whispered, gently trying to calm me down. "What's wrong?"

I was too shaken to compose myself enough to answer, that song struck _deeply_ and painfully...

_"May all your dreams be  
Sweet tonight.  
Safe upon your bed of  
Moonlight._

_And know not of sadness,  
Pain or care!  
__And when I dream I'll fly away  
And meet you there..._

_Sleep..._

_Sleep..._

_Sleep...!"_

As the song ended she slowly pulled my arm and led me outside where she sat me down on a crate in the nearby alley.

"Shhh, it's okay Loki!" She rubbed my shoulder, knowing of my dislike for physical contact. "Just calm down, calm down..." She could tell that it wasn't just the fact that the song was sad that caused me to break down in such a way.

The entire guild knew that I held myself apart from many of my emotions, lots of people in the guild had terrible pasts as well. No one ever pushed me to share it which I was eternally grateful for.

She sat there with me for several minutes, trying to get me to calm down. I just sat... and... cried. I bawled like a child, too caught up in painful memories to recognize anything around me.

"I smell salt... tears?"

"Lo' and Shrimp are over here, I can smell them..."

Hurried footsteps, the presences of several people joining Levy in the task of helping me calm down.

Eventually I came to my senses, still crying but able to see those around me. The entire group who had gone to the concert was huddled around me in as best a group hug as they could manage with me sitting down on the crate.

I looked up at them and several of them sighed in relief that I was responding again.

"Loki... Are you okay?" Mira asked hesitantly. I couldn't even bother to get the anger to glare at her.

"It's okay, we're here for you." Lucy said. I nearly broke down again at how confident she was in it, how she implied they'd _always _be there. Be there when no one else really ever was.

"Ya got that right," Gajeel huffed, bristling slightly in a protective way. I offhandedly noted that both his and Natsu's Dragonslayer instincts were apparently making them both extremely protective of friends...

"We got you." Natsu nodded.

"And if you need to talk about it..." Levy trailed off as I shook my head frantically. They couldn't know! They... There was no telling how they'd react... The Turks were different, they didn't care about _anything _ that someone did! These people... They just couldn't know. Ever.

"Hey, it's okay," Lucy soothingly pat my shoulder. "You don't have to tell us. But if you ever need to talk, we're all here for you." Even Jet and Droy joined them in nodding and agreeing.

I nodded slowly, taking in the offer. I would most likely never actually use it... but it was amazing to hear someone offer such a thing to _me_.

"Why don't we go home, we can help you get to your apartment." Grey suggested. He knew where I lived because he'd gone there a few times to ask for a spar.

I nodded again, shaking as I tried to figure out something to say. "Th-thank you..." I choked out, still crying.

Everyone smiled... They helped me up, walked me to my home...

Home. I realized that I found my small, 'cozy' apartment my home. More so than Asgard, the palace where I grew up.

They reluctantly left, leaving me collapsed on my bed. I barely even noticed as Grey sat himself down at my desk, watching my carefully. I could feel the strong magical presence of Natsu and Gajeel lurking around my front door as if not wanting to leave. Based on the fact that Natsu eventually left slowly, I figured Gajeel had convinced him he'd watch out for me.

I fell asleep with tears still streaking down my face.

_Home..._

* * *

**Okay, let me guess, did anyone cry? Believe me, I nearly did while writing it. :')**

**So, I started this story with the idea of Loki paired with somebody... You may have an idea of who it is, but its likely you've got the wrong idea. I actually started with a certain person in mind but as I've progressed and made Loki such good friends with certain members I've discovered that there are several people I want to pair him with...**

**And I'm not telling you whether the first pairing included yoai or not.**

**What I want YOU guys to do is go to my profile where I will (hopefully) have a vote set up soon as to which person you guys want him to be with. Or you can review and tell me there, in fact try doing both just in case I can't get the poll set up. Now, the pairing I choose might not be affected by the results. I still want the original person with him, I just want to know what you guys think. If I get enough votes, I may consider someone else. And... I might possibly consider an OT3 if anyone wants that. I don't really think so, but if anyone wants that I will gladly think about it. OT3s are strangely addicting.**

**Now, I will accept vote ideas for pretty much everyone, but there are some I will NOT do. Such as Loki/Wendy. Even though looking at their relationship some might see something like that, that's just sick. She's thirteen. I will NOT write a pedophilic story. Loki is more like her very close older brother. **

**Ignore the minirant up there...**

**Now, please Read, Review, and Vote! Tell me what you guys think! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Home Is Where the Heart Heals**

**Chapter Seven**

**I will say now, I hold no accountability for any injuries obtained from the raw feels in this chapter.**

**I'd also like to say that I'm proud that the original pairing I was intending on is pretty much what everyone else is looking forwards to! ^w^ I'm pretty sure you guys can guess what it is, but I'll leave it a mystery until it turns up. Which might be anytime at all to be honest. I doubt it will be next chapter, but I can't say anything about the chapters after that.**

**Thank you Hakurei no Miko, Chibi y Hina, MavisDracula118, and AncientHeartlessKai for reviewing last chapter! And HUGE thanks to Kyrianae Narii, who reviewed each and every one of my chapters! *squee***

**[Insert Rabid Disclaimer]**

* * *

_"After a while I began to get restless, though the Turks travel constantly it became rather dull. Luckily for me I obtained an apprentice, so to say, who helped stave off boredom for a time."_

* * *

Hidden in the branches of a salt cedar tree, Loki snickered and his accomplice giggled as they sucked on a few salty-fresh leaves.

Lope walked by, hatchet in hand, and approached the trap-ahem-I mean, _log_.

He examined the fallen tree, nodding when he deemed it appropriate firewood. He raised the hatchet and brought it down in a good swing...

Only for the hatchet to bounce off the wood.

The look of complete befuddlement on his face nearly broke their cover, as he stumbled from the backlash of force and they clutched the branches around them in order to stay still. Loki held a hand over his accomplices mouth so that they didn't laugh out loud, both the troublemakers shaking with silent laughter. He quickly removed his hand with a look of disgust when she spit the leaves that had been in her mouth on his hand. She gave him a smirk and he rolled his eyes.

Lope gave the log another look and shrugged. He gave another experimental swing at the wood, frowning and giving it a **LOOK **when the hatchet bounced off again. He looked up in no particular direction.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Can I get my wood now? I'd prefer not havin' to cut down a whole tree just for firewood."

This broke them, Aleena falling out of the tree laughing manically and accidentally pulling Loki down with her. He had enough presence of mind to use a small cushioning charm before they hit the ground and rolled around on their backs on the scratchy needles laughing.

"Your FACE, dad!" She cackled.

Loki waved a hand at the log as he laughed, tears going down his face. It felt so _good_ to cause mischief after so long!

Lope swung the hatchet softly again, nodding in satisfaction when it buried itself a centimeter in. He chopped the log into manageable parts, shaking his head when the two continued laughing, calming down a bit but then looking up at each other and collapsing into laughter again.

"You two have fun." He chuckled as he left back to camp.

"Lo'?" She giggled.

"Yes, 'Leena?" He snickered and tried to calm his laughter. She paused for a second before speaking, composing herself.

"Do you know how to make wood fireproof?"

The look of (obviously faked) innocence on her face made him collapse again.

* * *

_"Sadly, that only lasted for a month or two. I was never one for a quiet life."_

* * *

Terla walked up to Loki with a determined look.

"What's wrong with you?" She demanded.

He stared at her bewildered. "I... What are you talking about?"

"You've been acting weird and you haven't been helping 'Leena with hardly any pranks! What's wrong?" She held up a finger when he gave her a confused look. "As much as she's getting good at it, it's quite obvious when you are or are not involved. Spill."

He stopped and thought for a moment, frowning. "I... never really noticed... I suppose I'm just... restless?" He scowled at his inability to put words to it. He was the Silvertongue dangit! He was always supposed to know what to say!

Terla nodded, obviously absorbed in her thoughts, and walked off without another word. Loki blinked as she left and 'Little Lara' (as she was always called) tugged on his sleeve.

"Yes, Little One?" He looked at her.

"Why's my Ma acting weird?" She looked up at him through her half lidded eyes.

"I don't know, Little One." He shrugged. "Knowing your mother, we shall learn at some point."

"Okay. Let's go, I still wanna show you the blackberries I found!" She grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the nearby forest, smiling at him.

He smiled back and allowed her to pull him along.

* * *

_"Eventually the Turks caught on to my restlessness and encouraged me to find my own way."_

* * *

Several nights later, Terla pulled them all together at the campfire for dinner. Instead of serving the food, she sat down herself and they all knew that tonight would be for talking.

"Loki, you've been acting strange for several weeks. Don't try to deny it, we've all noticed at some point." The only one who didn't give a nod and slightly reluctant look was Lara, who'd never even thought about it.

"I suppose..." He sighed. "I don't quite know what it is. I've been feeling restless, like there's something... _more_ I can do. I feel like I should do something, something that will actually matter... As usual I don't quite know what to say with you Turks around."

Lope smiled and nodded. "This happens every once in a while with some of the people we help. Before everything... you were one for action, right? You liked getting out there and _doing_ things, sitting back and relaxing wasn't ever your thing."

Loki nodded as well. "Yes, whether it was training, attempting to keep my brother and his friends from getting killed, or causing chaos around the castle," Here he couldn't help but smirk slightly. "I was always doing something." His eyes lit up in understanding.

"Our life isn't one meant for people like you," Terla grinned. "You're made to go and have adventures, 'cause chaos', and in general have fun. I think it would be best for you if you joined a guild."

"A guild? That would be impossible, they require their members to register their magic. My magic would be impossible to label. Besides, I don't want to leave you. You... You are all very much like a family to me..." He choked up a little on the last part, reddening slightly.

Aleena, Jaxel, and Lara immediately moved in for a hug, piling on top of him in a massive dog pile. Loki groaned in exasperation at the sound of a click. Lope had way too much fun with the camera he'd bought at that last big city.

"It's okay Lo', besides! You get to go and have awesome adventures and send us pictures!" Aleena grinned.

"It'll be good for you, we don't want you to stay with us if it's making you unhappy." Jaxel nodded, ever the sensible one.

"It's not making me unhappy traveling with you, I'm happier now than I've ever been." He protested.

"But yer not as happy as you CAN be." Lara smiled at him innocently.

Loki blinked back a few tears. The raw care and love they were showing was incredible.

"I... Since you all insist. I would still need to find a guild and find a way to pass my magic off as a normal form of magic." He noticed as they all nodded, accepting his 'reasons' though they all knew what they were. They were excuses, excuses for him to stay as long as possible.

But they never acknowledged it, wanting the time as much as he did.

* * *

Several weeks later, Loki didn't bother blinking back the tears. They didn't either, everyone but Lope crying full heartedly as the man merely sniffled morosely.

Loki refused to allow them to deviate from their course (leading to a small village sick with a violent disease) to bring him to his guild of choice.

Fairy Tail.

It had been a fairly obvious choice, looking back. The guild was the rowdiest, strongest, and _craziest_ of all of them. Not to mention their penchant for disobeying the law and causing destruction. Loki knew as soon as he started narrowing down possible guilds that Fairy Tail was at the top of his list.

His magic had also had a similarly easy fix. Jaxel, having the largest knowhow on forms of magic due to researching his sister's, presented him with Variant Magic.

Variant Magic was pretty much exactly that; its uses and forms varied. The few mages known to have used it were long gone and no one could ever accurately predict what Variant Magic would do, so the idea that he'd learned to control its unpredictability was acceptable - compared to his massive magical power, that is.

He'd taken his sweet (oh so sweet) time with the tasks nevertheless, spending much of his time with the Turks relaxing and having as much fun as possible. He declared Aleena proficient in defense, if not a warrior. She was also regularly creating and modifying her own training regimen thanks to his teachings.

Speaking of teachings... He imparted as much of his mischief knowledge as possible, charging her with bringing evidence of future pranks and purchasing a communication lacrima so that she could call and ask for advice if needed.

He gave Jaxel some advice in discovering his magic, suggesting and helping him get started with meditation to find his magical core.

He spent some extra time with Little Lara, letting her give him 'makeovers' because, really, he couldn't turn her down when he was about to leave.

He talked with Terla and helped her with chores around camp. She also helped gather herbs and gave him a list of instructions for calming teas and droughts, nightmares still plaguing his mind that would doubtlessly grow worse again once he left the Turks' calming presence.

As for Lope, he simply refrained from any pranks and went on walks with him in the morning, neither of them really needing to say anything.

Now the time finally came where they would part, Loki to travel for a week in order to get used to living on his own before finally reaching Magnolia town and asking to join the guild.

In any other case he would have taken the train, but as it was Loki despised the closed in cabins and wanted to put off spending any time in them as long as possible. So here he stood at a crossroads (metaphorically and literally) with a pack slung around his shoulders, enchanted inside for there to be more space.

"Call, alright? I'll make sure 'Leena keeps in touch." Lope determinedly refused to outright cry, eyes watery as he shook Loki's hand.

"Be safe, Loki. And more importantly: have fun, take care of yourself, make some friends, and remember that as long as the Turks line continues you will _always_ be welcome in our camp." Terla cried and hugged him, sweeping him up and causing a fresh wave of tears to fall.

"I'm gonna miss you, ya know that right?" Aleena muttered from where her face was pressed into his shirt. "And I'm gonna be calling you every night, no matter what time it is where you are."

"I... Yeah..." Jaxel ducked his head shyly. "I guess... goodbye? Because where there's a goodbye there's always a hello." Jaxel smiled softly, too jittery to stay still long enough for a hug.

"I-I'mma m-miss you Lo-Lo!" Lara sobbed, taking it harder then the rest of them. Even though she supported him like the others she was still a young child, one who didn't want 'big brudder Lo-Lo' to leave.

"I will miss you too, Little One. I will miss you all." He said, crouching down and hugging the toddler tight as she most likely rubbed snot all over his shirt. He finally stood up and released her, glad that 'Leena came forwards and picked her up in order to keep her from following him.

He turned and started walking, going forwards a few yards before looking back and waving.

He saw the whole family standing at the fork in the road, tears still going down their cheeks. They waved back as well, silent as they'd already said their goodbyes.

He focused back on the road in front of him, thoughts and emotions whirling as tears still trickled down his face. He walked and walked until he looked back and they were almost out of sight. He smiled softly and fully turned around, spreading his legs and lifting his hands above him.

Back with the Turks, they watched with a sense of pride and sadness at the wretched, damaged soul they'd found what felt like lifetimes ago. He'd grown stronger, far stronger, but he held a road all his own to travel now without them holding him back. He was still cracked, still hurting, but there would be others in due time that would help and heal the wonderful soul who still didn't know where he belonged or who he was.

Aleena blinked and pointed as he turned around, all of them muttering among themselves wondering what he was doing.

They gasped and tears flowed yet again faster as a soft green flowed out and up, spreading across the bright daytime sky and forming shapes, lines, and finally words. They laughed to themselves and cried even harder at the great honor.

* * *

_"On the day I left, I was no longer Loki Odinson. Mother, I have always loved you, even in my darkest moments. Brother, even though I often doubted your love and on several occasions hated you, I now love you just as much. But Odin shall never again be my father, the wounds are too fresh in my mind and no matter how I look at it I can not feel it in my heart to care for him._

_I am not an Odinson, I never truly was and I never shall be._

* * *

Far across the sky, sprawled in Loki's beautiful calligraphy, green letters danced and wavered.

* * *

**_"I am Loki Turks-_**_**Friggason."**_

* * *

**Oh my Primus, I just made myself cry! *blows into tissue* **

**Just for those people who don't know, a salt cedar tree has long, soft, stringy leaves that taste like salt when you suck on them. When the leaves die and fall off the tree they take years to decompose, ending up making an extremely scratchy and poky layer of dead leaves on the ground. There is a small grove of the trees behind my dad's house that my sister and I pretty much grew up in, and salt cedar trees will always remain precious to me because of the hours my sister and I would spend playing in them. :')**

**Whoo, alright, please read and review because I'm honestly wondering what you guys think of this chapter and how it ended.**

***grabs at heart* Oh the FEELS!**


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